A Summer message from our Executive Director, Deb Pella Keen

Have you ever thought about how our beautiful roadside Native Maple trees came to be? In the 1870s, the Ontario Government, through local municipalities, provided an incentive to farmers if they planted roadsides with trees from their woodlots. The majority of trees planted were Native Maples. This gave rise to an important element of Ontario’s rural landscape – rows of stately maples alongside roads and separating farmer’s fields.

We are hoping when you are driving through rural Ontario and come across one of these legacy rows of maples, you will record it and send it to Maple Leaves Forever. We are documenting as many of these as possible and you can be part of this project and possibly win $150.00! Find contest details HERE.

We would like to congratulate the Municipalities of Clarington and Port Hope, and the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (GRCA), in their efforts to restore trees along municipal roadways in their communities. For the last 10 years, their “Trees for Rural Roads” program provided trees to landowners who wished to plant trees along these roadways. They have planted nearly 8,000 native road side trees and with the support of Maple Leaves Forever almost 1700 of those trees were Native Canadian maples! A project like this ensures communities will continue to enjoy beautiful rows of Native Maples in our landscape that provide many benefits to the natural environment.

Click here to read and subscribe to our Summer newsletter – we hope you enjoy it!

June 2022
Deb Pella Keen,
Executive Director,
Maple Leaves Forever